Flooring structure



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Oct. 15,' 1935. ofw'. HOVEY FLOORING STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 1s, 1953 o. w. .HovEY-v '2,017,833

FLOORING STRUCTURE K Filed Jan. 1s, 195s 2 sheets-sheet a Oct. 15, 1935.

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Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE FLOORING STRUCTURE Application January 13, 1933, Serial No. 651,554 10 Claims. (Cl. 'l2- 64) The invention relates to flooring structures and particularly to flooring structures for bridges or the like.

Such flooring is required to take heavy wheel loads concentrated at asmall area and to distribute such loads over a larger area without in juriously delecting the flooring. Such Wheel loads may reach as high as 20,000 lbs., and impact loads may reach double that value.

Heretofore such iiooring has usually consisted of thick and correspondingly heavy concrete slabs, which added very substantially to the Weight of the bridge or like structure, and in such structures of long span, as for example, the George Washington bridge over the Hudson River, since the weight of the remaining bridge structure is many times the weight of the licorlng, i. e., one pound of flooring necessitating many pounds of structures to support it, the use of such heavy iiooring adds very materially to the expense of the bridge structure as a Whole, even though the liooring itself is relatively inexpensive.

It is an object of the invention to provide a 'oor structure which is relatively light in weight as compared with known such structures, a structure that is easy of manufacture and one that is very eiectivein distributing the concentrated loads over the adjoining areas and into the framing supporting the fioor.

These objects are attained in large measure by constructing the iicoring out of metallic members wherever possible out of high tensile stainless steel, Which not only is free from corrosion and does not require frequent painting, but is very strong, although of light weight, particularly if given an appropriate section.r The metallic members are so coordinated and connected as to give to the resulting flooring structure a .very high strength-weight ratio. To this end, there are provided vertical web members of a depth commensurate with the strength required and are arranged in spaced relation at intervals again depending upon the load to be carried, these web members being either flat strips or being provided With widened base portions and interconlnected at `a point substantially above their baseA portions by means forming a bottom for the iiller and above said connecting means by transverse tie members which form with the tops of the webs with which they are flush, a grating adapted to form wear surfaces, along with lling in the spaces between the web members. Such a metallic structure is very strong, while light in weight, and requires a relatively small amount of lling to complete the roadway surface, and, since the filler forms a very large percentage of the weight in such structures, as heretofore proposed, another decided saving of weight is effected by the present construction.

Other and further objects and advantages and the manner in which they are attained will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in' connection with the accompanying drawings, in which, 10

Figures l and 2 are respectively, a sectional elevation andfa sectional plan of one form of the improved flooring according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, a plan (with parts of the lling broken away), and a sectional view-of a modied form of flooring.

Figure 6 is a. sectional view of a further modification, and

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view taken along -the lines 'I--l of Figure 6.

According to the form of the'invention shown -in Figures 1 to 3, the spaced bars I0 are in the form of strip stock preferably of high tensile 25 stainless steel and are of a substantial vertical depth and spaced apart a distance adapting them to carry the loading desired. These bases are, in this instance, widened and strengthened by spot welding to the opposite sides thereof channel section members I I, which may be of lighter gauge, and also preferably of high tensile stainless steel.

The bottoms of the bars III and the lower side walls of the channels I I are adapted to rest upon the floor supporting framing, such as the transverse beams I3 'also preferably constructed of light gauge stainless steel and of closed box section, ianged laterally at their edges as I4. 'I'hese beams are suitably spaced to take the desired load. The flooring proper is readily secured to them as by spot welding the bottom side walls of the channel to the fianges I4 of the beams.

By this construction the strength of the iiooring may be increased by deepening the beams I0, and by interconnecting them adjacent their lower ends, as by a transverse connection, such as a hollow section light gauge steel strip, as heretofore proposed, and instead of resting the iiooring structure directly on transverse beams such as I3, the bars I0 may rest directly on longitudinal stringers or other oor supporting framework. It is to be understood, however, that the bars I0 `are always to be arranged generally trans-- versely to the frame members directly supporting them.

According to the invention, an important fea-- ture is a construction wherebythe weight of the concrete or other filler is very `materially decreased. To this end the means forming the bottom support for tl'ie fillery is arranged, not substantially at the base of the bars I0, but a substantial distance above base. In the form shown, the arrangement is substantially at half the height of the bars, but the precise location will vary considerably with the demands of the roadway.

In the form shown, the bars are interconnnected transversely at this location by transversely corrugated sheet metal strips secured, as by spot welding, to the top side walls I5 of the channels II. 'I'his corrugated connection provides a very strong connection and is well adapted to take the load transmitted to the filler and transmit it to the bars IU.

Above this bottom partition the bars I are strongly interconnected by transversev vertically arranged' bar strips I6 forming with the tops of the bars I0 a grating of a. fmeness adapting it to form the wear surface of the ooring. The

-spacing of the bars I0 and the transverse interconnecting bars I6 is such as to permit the wheel tread in its engagement with the flooring, to spread over a plurality of the meshes formed by the grating. The grating is preferably formed by having the bars I6 formed with flattened portions I'I where they engage the sides of the bars I0 and diagonal portions I8 extending from bar to bar between adjacent attened portions engaging adjacent bars. The parts are preferably joined by spot welding through the overlapping portions.

The metallic framework so described is readily fabricatedand assembled and forms substantially the entire load sustaining and distributing structure of theooring. To finish the smooth roadway surface, and where concrete or other filler adapted to take high compression is used to add somewhat to the strength of the structure, the spaces formed by the meshes of the grating are filled flush with the top of the grating with an appropriate ller I9. Appropriate materials for the ller are concrete, asphalt, and other materials capable of owing when applied and of subsequent setting and \adhering to the metallic framework and withstanding the elements. The ller may also be interlocked vertically with the grating by owing under the grating bars I6.

According to the modification shown in Figure the entire metallic framework comprising the iiooring` proper excluding the transverse connecting members I6 of the top grating, may be" made of integral beams of relatively inexpensive rolled stock.

"This stock may comprise a deep vertical web portion 20, a widened base portion 2|, laterally extending portion 2 projecting from the web portion and arranged a substantial distance above the base portion, in the instance shown, nearer the top than the base of the web. kThe lateral extensions 22 of adjacent beams bridge the space between the beams and form the bottom for supporting the filler.' Along theiradjacent edges, the members 22 may be welded together, or otherwise joined to still further increase the strength of the structure and more evenly distribute the load.

A modification of this structure is shown in Figures 6 and 7, in which the integral extensions 22 of the rolled section members of Figure 5 are replaced by a transverse connection, between the vvertical webs of rolled section inverted T-' bars 23, of lighter construction similar to"v that shown in Figures 1 to. 3. In this connection, it is shown as consisting of angle strips 24 spot welded to the webs of the bars 23 and transversely 5` corrugated bridging strips 25 spot welded to one of the armsl of the angles. In the constructions shown in all the forms herein, it is understood' that the structure can, if desired, be additionally reinforced and strengthened by transversely connecting the base portions of the webs of the parallel flooring bars by light gauge hollow section strips, such for example, as are shown in my co-pending application of equal date herewith.

Other and further modifications and departures from the specific structures herein described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. A ooring structure comprising a plurality of spaced beams having vertical web portions, metallic means bridging the space between said web portions a substantial distance above the base portions thereof, and transverse tie members connecting said webs above said ybridging means.

2. A flooring structure comprising a plurality of spaced beams havingl vertical web portions, metallic means integral with said webs bridging the space between adjacent beams a substantial 80 distance above their base portions, and'transverse tie members interconnecting adjacent web portions above said bridging means and forming. with the tops of the webs wear surfaces of the flooring.

3. A flooring structure comprising a plurality of spaced web members of strip stock form, angular members welded to opposite sides of the bases of said members to form a widened reinforced base for the webs and means through 40 which the flooring may be secured to the'base for the flooring, transversely corrugated strips bridging the space between adjacent beams and secured thereto through said angular members, and transverse tie members. connecting said web members above said bridging strips and forming therewith a grating adapted to form a wear surface.

4. A floor structure comprising a plurality of web members of strip stock form, channel mem-'60 bers welded to opposite sides of the base portions of said web members, metallic strips connecting said web members and welded to the tops of said channel members in spaced relation to the bases of said web members, and transverse ltie members connecting said web members and arranged abovesaid strips to form with the tops of the web members wear portions of the flooring.

5. A iioor structure comprising a plurality of inverted T-section bars having their webs ex- 6I) tended vertically and their widened bases adapted to rest on oor supporting beams, angular members welded to the `opposite sides of said webs a substantial distance above their base portions, and metallic strips corrugated transversely of the bars secured to said angular members and bridging the space between said webs, and transverseltie bars extending between said webs and adapted to form with the top of said webs, wear surfaces of the iiooringf 6. A floor structure comprising a plurality of rolled section bars having vertical web portions adapted to rest on floor supporting beams, and integral-lateral arms extending from said web portions a substantial distance above said base `1I portions and in meeting and joined relation, the portions of the webs extending above said arms being interconnected by transverse tie membersv adapted to form with the tops of the webs, wear surfaces of the ilooring.

7. A flooring structure comprising a plurality of rolled section bars having vertical webs, widened base portions adapted to rest upon floor supporting framing, and laterally extending arms spaced a substantial distance from the base portions, the arms from adjacent webs being of an extent adapted to bridge the space between the webs, and transverse tie members connecting the webs above said arms and forming a grating with the tops ofthe webs adapted to serve as a wear surface, and a ller lling the interstices ofl said grating above said arms to substantially the level of the top of said grating.

8. A ooring structure comprising a plurality of spaced beams having vertical web portions, metallic means bridging the space between said web portions a substantial distance above the base portions thereof, transverse tie members connecting said webs above said bridging means to form with the webs a grating, and a ller lling the spaces formed by said grating above said bridging means.

9. A flooring structure comprising a plurality i of spaced bars having deep vertical webs, means transversely connecting the base portions of the bars, metallic means bridging the space between said webs a substantial distance above the base llar members welded to opposite sides of the bases of said members to form a widened rein- 15 forced base for the webs and means through which the ilooring may be secured to the vbase for the flooring, transversely corrugated strips bridging the space between adjacent beams and secured thereto, and transverse tie members co'nnecting said web members above said bridging strips and forming therewith a grating adapted vto form a wear surface.

OTIS W. HOVEY. 25 

